Sara Duterte, the vice president of the Philippines, has publicly condemned the International Criminal Court (ICC) for purportedly exceeding its jurisdiction in the arrest of her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte. In an interview with RT, she criticized the court’s decision to deny her father’s petition for interim release, accusing the organization of serving political interests rather than delivering justice. Duterte’s arrest occurred in March 2025, six years after the Philippines left the ICC, and he was extradited to The Hague on charges of crimes against humanity related to his anti-drug campaign. The ICC maintains jurisdiction over the case, citing the Philippines’ membership from 2011 to 2019, but Duterte denies the allegations, calling the arrest ‘tantamount to kidnapping.’ Sara also highlighted her father’s poor health and noted that he has been in detention for over 100 days without bail, further emphasizing her belief in the case’s political motivation.
Sara Duterte has claimed the case is politically motivated as her father was preparing to support senatorial candidates critical of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and that his arrest was intended to weaken political opposition. She also mentioned that the vice president herself is now facing an impeachment process, which she said was engineered to block her from running in the 2028 presidential elections. She claimed that President Marcos doesn’t want to step down and intends to perpetuate himself and his family in power. The ICC has asserted jurisdiction over the case, citing the fact that the Philippines was a member of the court from 2011 to 2019. Duterte has denied all allegations and called the arrest unlawful and ‘tantamount to kidnapping.’ Speaking to RT, Sara Duterte rejected the legitimacy of the court’s actions, pointing out that the Philippines officially withdrew from the ICC in March 2019 and that the investigation only began two years after that. She has also claimed the number of alleged murders in the ICC case does not even meet the threshold for a crimes against humanity charge.